Eternal Glorious Fountain Ministry (EGFM)
Programme: Lekki Soul Centre (LSC)
Date: Wednesday, 8th June 2022
Ministering: Rev. Helen Oyegoke
As believers, we are on a journey to God, and this journey is by light (understanding). "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." (Prov. 4:18 ) The perfect day is when we reach the Father. The journey is to an expected end; the presence of God (Psa. 16:11). The pleasures at the right hand of God are His life. When there is no life, then there is no pleasure. The place of God's pleasure is the place of His majesty; the place of Eternal Life and of glory.
There is a path that leads to the presence. It is only the living -- a man who has been justified -- that can locate that path and walk effectively in it. What separates man from God's presence is darkness and ignorance. This separation can only be closed by understanding, knowledge and revelation. The gospel is a tool to bring a man to God. Substances from God come to us, and as we align with what comes from God, we begin to journey back to Him. God wants all men to come to Him. However, an enemy configured man far from God, with a kind of knowledge called ignorance or darkness. Satan blinded man!
When Adam was in the garden, the devil offered him an alternative life against the real life that can join a man to God. This brought darkness over his soul. It was the promise of a kind of life that is glorious without God's process. Man bought into it and, as a result, disobeyed God's instruction. We journey to God by instructions. If the visitation of God to a man is without instructions, there is no movement forward. God instructed Adam on how to come to Him and inherit His life. Adam was made as a living soul (Gen 2:7). He was instructed on how his status can be changed from a living soul to a quickening spirit; which was what God was looking for. When God created man, He did so to make a man like Him.
"And God said, Let Us make man in our image, after Our likeness..." (Gen. 1:26). The likeness of God is not a living soul; rather, He is a quickening Spirit. God is Eternal Life. God is also everlasting. If Adam was already created in the image of God, he would not have been able to be tempted by the devil because the image of God is a sealing. God cannot be tempted, and He tempts no man (Jas. 1:13). God cannot be drawn as a result of His configuration. He is a stone, and so He is unmovable. For Adam to have been tempted, it is evident that he had not become what God wanted him to be, which is the image of God.
In the lifetime of Jesus, we see that Jesus morphed and changed status from one level to the other (Luke 2:40). If Jesus had been God at the time when He was taken by the Spirit to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan (Matt. 4:1), it would be contradictory because God cannot be tempted (Jas. 1:13). Jesus was tempted at all points (Heb. 4:15). To be tempted means to be drawn. Something appeals to you when you are tempted. This means there was something in Jesus that could pull him. Thus, Jesus was not fully God at those points of temptation. Yet, He was able to overcome every temptation that was brought against Him. What made Him overcome was because He had a spiritual building.
Jesus was tempted at all points so that He can succour us in any temptation that we may find ourselves in. The Father gave Him the solution to the limitations of man, and the solution is the content of the gospel. There is nothing that Satan has created that the gospel does not have a solution to. The solution is always light (understanding). The reason things pull us is that we do not have the understanding or the growth of that realm. When understanding comes, strength comes (Prov. 24:5). When understanding comes, instructions come for a change of nature. Understanding causes us to change our location in the spirit; to change our conversation (lifestyle).
Some temptations cannot come to us now because we cannot bear them (1 Cor. 10:13). God wants us to concentrate and focus on what He has to give to us. Satan comes to distract us to stop us from receiving what God has to give. This is because what God has to give us is the solution to what Satan is troubling us with. The reason things come to trouble us is to stop us from journeying and moving forward spiritually but the times we are in do not permit us to stay stuck on one spot, because things are happening in the spirit realm.
The gospel is a Person or consists of the things that make up a glorious Being. The gospel is a container of the substances of a glorious Being, and His intention is to empty everything that is of and in Him, in us. The gospel talks about ‘all’ because the kind of man He wants to raise is a man who is full of all of God (Col. 2:9; 1:19).
"Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds…" (Heb. 1:2). The "all things" are not all things created, but all things contained in the gospel. We have a hope that one day, we will be an heir of all things. Satan knows that we become free from him when we inherit all things.
"Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him." (Rom. 6:9) The dominion that God is clamouring for us to have is the dominion over death because the last enemy to be defeated is death (1 Cor. 15:26). Death will be destroyed because God will deck us with substances of life that will cause death to be detonated. This glorious gospel will raise us to that point where we will be able to have dominion over death, just as Jesus. God decked Jesus with substances of life, and He became such a living entity. He defeated death (Rev. 1:18). Jesus is the key to detonating death.
God cannot give us everlasting life when we have not come to terms with the substances of Christ. There are substances responsible for the formation of Christ in us. It takes the preaching of Christ to give the substances of Christ. "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?" Gal. 3:1. The truth that Paul was talking about here is the truth that is in Jesus. The truth of Christ is meant to be obeyed. When it is obeyed, something takes place on the inside. Obedience to the truth that is in Christ Jesus washes one from sins (1 Pet. 1:22).
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." (Rom. 8:2). There is a Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, and it is controlled by laws. When Christ is ministered, that Spirit of life is given to us. When we obey that which is being ministered, we become free (2 Cor. 3:17). Spirit is ministered by preaching. When the words of the revelation of Christ are preached, the Spirit of life that is in him is passed to us (John 6:63). The law of the Spirit of life makes one free from the law of sin and death.
Christ is the kind of man that brings pleasure to God. God never created man to be carnal or flesh. The enemy brought man to that estate of flesh so that he could dominate man (Gen. 6:3). Satan cannot dominate a man that God made. The enemy beat down man and stole virtues – substances of his original make – from him by selling him a lie. He brought another lifestyle. By lifestyle, people become; by lifestyle, people are made. The devil brought conversations of degeneration to man, and man lost all sense of his humanity. But no matter how degraded a person has become, all that such a person needs to do is to listen to the gospel of Christ. There are things within the gospel of Christ that can rebuild such a person and take them away from that degraded estate.
The power of establishment is in the gospel (Rom. 16:25-26). Christ is a mystery, the Father is a mystery, and God is a mystery. These mysteries are tied to the glorious gospel. Mysteries are secrets. They were kept secret, and God has commanded that these mysteries be unfolded through preaching. It is for all nations for the obedience of faith. Why the obedience? It is so that all nations can be reconfigured. The revelation of the mystery of Christ needs to be unfolded to all nations so that nations will obey for the purpose of the formation of the nature of Christ in men. God commanded the gospel to be preached so that nations can obey faith.
This is why God is working and shining His light on a people; so that a people can embody these things. When they embody it, they will be witnesses to nations. Witnesses are going to be sent to the nations, not just anointed men. Creation is not waiting for anointed men. Rather, creation is waiting for the manifestation of sons (Rom. 8:19). Sons are the only ones who can deliver nations from the bondage of corruption because they themselves have been delivered from the bondage of corruption. They have received the incorruptible seed, and it has delivered them from the bondage of corruption. It takes a man who has obeyed and finished every jot of Christ to be a son. When you look at God's instruction, look at it as God is giving you life. When you reject it, you are rejecting life and choosing to die.
The devil is an ancient sinner. The Bible records that when he was made, he was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty (Ezek. 28:12). For a man to overcome him, such a man must come under God. The devil was full of wisdom, yet he corrupted that wisdom. On the other hand, man is full of folly, blindness and ignorance, and as a result, the devil's wiles appeal to man. Because of his ancient wisdom, the devil makes his things very attractive to man, thereby tricking man.
For example, when the law of God says to a believer, "Forgive your brother"; the devil comes to say the contrary. If a man gives heed to the devil's thoughts, he will see reasons why he should not forgive. The devil knows there is wisdom and life in forgiving, but he does not want a believer to live. Anything the devil says is anti-God, even when he chooses to appear as a friend to the believer. Therefore, believers need the wisdom of Christ. That wisdom will be what will cause the formation of Christ in us. After His formation in us, God can now take the believer to the place where we can access hidden wisdom for things kept for our glory.
"Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory…"
It is only with christs that we can share the wisdom for the perfect (1 Cor. 2:6-7). This wisdom was ordained before the world, and it is higher than the wisdom the devil perverted. It is the only wisdom that could beat the devil. However, it appears foolish; and that is the trap of Satan. Hence, a believer needs to be raised before this wisdom can be brought to him. The raising of Christ is a raising of a meek man for further meekness, because this hidden wisdom will make one meeker.
It is important that when a man tries to put you in an exalted position, you should know how to take that thought and trash it immediately without letting it sink into you. The devil brings thoughts of exaltation to attack meekness and humility–weapons by which a believer overcomes the devil. If a believer is not wise, he cannot arrest that thought. You need to quench that thought and consciously go beneath those whom you presume are insulting you. It is a war of wisdom. Our eyes must be open to hearing instructions upon instructions.
Jesus Christ did not just become obedient unto death. He had to suffer and give up things. Therefore, when God brings instructions to the believer, what stands against those instructions are things that God wants us to give up: our egos, arrogance, achievements and whatever we think we are. The ability to obey God has a lot to do with what we are willing to let go of.
Christ has His own wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24). There is a level of wisdom one gets from the learning of Christ (Psa. 119:98),even though it looks foolish and weak. It is until we are able to take all the wisdom of Christ that we have an edge and qualify for the hidden wisdom of God.
"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory…"(1 Cor. 2:7). A glorious church is a wise church. A man cannot be glorified except he is wise. The substances of God are the substances of wisdom. The only wise God will instruct us in wisdom. The foolishness of God is wiser than man. "Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Cor. 2:8). So, the death of Christ is a display of God's wisdom.
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Cor. 2:9). The things prepared for them that love God is the hidden wisdom of God. God decked our enemy with wisdom, but he perverted and corrupted it and is using it against us. Satan is pitched against God. Every suggestion he gives is contrary to God's wisdom for life. When we know this, then we will know how to escape him.
"But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." (1 Cor. 2:10). What God has prepared for us are "all things"-- all things of God. These "all things" are "all wisdom" (Col. 2:3). They are the things that framed Christ: treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And they have been prepared for us.
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Cor. 2:14) Spiritual things are discerned spiritually and not by natural wisdom. The wisdom of God is little; it has no reputation. We need this discernment to know when Satan comes to us with things that are contrary to God and His arrangement. A wise person will not fling his advantages or edge. This is wisdom but it looks foolish.
When a man has been made wise in the spirit, there are some things he is not allowed to say because it is foolishness; it is stinking. A lot of times, we foul in the realm of the spirit because we are not wise. God looks weak before a carnal man. A carnal man cannot relate to having the strength and not taking advantage of it. A man who follows the wisdom of God is termed weak, but he is actually the one who is strong.
The devil does not know how to be weak; he only knows how to be strong. He doesn't know how to give in. He struggled with his Maker and His will till the end because it was not recorded anywhere in the Bible that he repented. In the book of Revelation, it was recorded that he will even gather nations to fight the Lord his Creator (Rev. 20:7-9). He is not giving up despite knowing that he will be thrown into the lake of fire at the end. It is not in his character to back out and say he surrenders. So, when a man does not have the attitude of backing out of a fight or war to say he surrenders, the gene of the devil is at work in him. But it is better to be a loser with men and gain life.
Blessings!
Summary
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As believers, we are on a journey to God, and this journey is by light (understanding). "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." (Prov. 4:18 ) The perfect day is when we reach the Father.
-
(Psa. 16:11). The pleasures at the right hand of God are His life. The place of God's pleasure is the place of His majesty–the place of Eternal Life and of glory.
-
What separates man from God's presence is darkness and ignorance. This separation can only be closed by understanding, knowledge and revelation. The gospel is a tool to bring a man to God.
-
The Lord was able to overcome every temptation that was brought against Him because He had a spiritual building. The reason things pull us is that we do not have the understanding or the growth of that realm. The solution to the limitations of the flesh is always light (understanding).
-
The reason things come to trouble us is to stop us from journeying and moving forward spiritually but the times we are in do not permit us to stay stuck on one spot, because things are happening in the spirit realm.
-
Jesus Christ did not just become obedient unto death. He had to suffer and give up things. Therefore, our ability to obey God has a lot to do with what we are willing to let go of.
-
God cannot give us everlasting life when we have not come to terms with the substances of Christ. Obedience to the truth that is in Christ washes one from sins (1 Pet. 1:22).
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(1 Cor. 2:7). A glorious church is a wise church. A man cannot be glorified except he is wise. Every suggestion Satan gives is contrary to God's wisdom for life. When we know this, then we will know how to escape him.